The survey report is shown below, either for reading on-line or downloading.
Comments can be added to this post or sent separately to the Committee.
The survey report is shown below, either for reading on-line or downloading.
Comments can be added to this post or sent separately to the Committee.
Hi Val here, as a person who has been a bowler for many years I am impressed by this survey and how many members replied. We tried a similar thing at R b c and hardly anyone answered! I have had some experience and in that vein here are some of my thoughts. When I was County President (2015) I had some connection to the Bowls England administration and its interesting to see that the noted issues are the same at club level as at national level. Recruitment for Juniors has always been an issue, but Bowls England fell into the trap of trying to highlight Juniors playing whilst complaining about the older age group. As we all know the older group tend to be the ones keeping the clubs together and at the end of the day Juniors can take to any sport they choose. We had quite a few young people at Reading for a while but lost them all to moving away/family issues or going to University, so definitely not ” feeders” to replace lost numbers. I am probably the new member who said it was ” hard to answer” the questions. I wasn’t complaining about the survey just that so far I had had so little experience of the club at that time in order to judge. I have mostly been warmly welcomed and I very much enjoy playing at the club whilst I am hoping to play more next year and meet some more members. The outdoor season goes so quickly. A new members evening would have been welcome as we all struggled initially to work out rotas, cleaning stints etc. It would be very good to know these things up front. With regard to fees etc, R.B.C used to charge £25.00 ( but only for completely new bowlers) for the first year if people came for coaching. This enabled them to a certain extent to get kit etc and locked them in a bit , as other members chatted with them- something to think about. I also agree that the entry code things are a bit confusing at first I made up a ” crib” sheet which I kept in my purse, but it did definitely stop me trying to get in to practice. This could also be addressed with a new members evening. I also agree that ” something” needs to be done about the toilets ( ladies ones NOT in the changing room would be nice?. Again if it might help RBC recently sent a plea to all members for a one off ( supposedly) donation towards a pergola and ( I think) a loo upgrade. They got the money………! I think that’s probably enough from me. Good Luck.
Comments on the survey results below, based on my experience as a new member joining this year. I apologise in advance as some of the below is probably already well known. I do not want to cause offence.
Recruitment
Signage/Visibility: I have run past the club on the Basingstoke Road many times over the years but didn’t notice the club sign until my husband saw a TMX poster at Whiteknights IBC and asked me if I knew where it was. The blue sign does stand out among the other signs but not enough.
Profile Raising Locally: I would strongly support a leaflet drop in the new-ish housing estates within walking distance of the club. Ideally just before next year’s open days. If local roads were divided up among volunteers (especially members who live within walking distance) we could achieve a good amount of coverage without overburdening anyone. I am willing to help out.
Posters: If not already done, display a poster at School Green Centre in Shinfield (busy community hub, near the club). Also on local notice boards, especially the one just up the road from the club, on the corner of Church Lane and Basingstoke Road. Adding a brightly coloured call out drawing attention to the location – “opposite Lucas Tyres & Auto Centre, a few doors down from The Swan pub” – just before the open days take place may make more people notice.
And on notice boards in surrounding villages – Shinfield, Arborfield, Farley Hill, Swallowfield, Spencers Wood (any others)? The club has members who live in some of these so it shouldn’t need much extra effort.
Match Length: For me one of the biggest barriers to playing was the length of time it takes to complete an 18-end game. When I did participate, I found that this was not a problem at all but shorter match formats – maybe 8 ends – would help overcome this – the Lawn Bowls equivalent of T20.
Fees: I do not find these excessive. New bowlers already pay a reduced membership fee for their first year.
Facilities: In my very limited experience (I have only been to a couple of other bowling clubs) I did not feel that their facilities were that much better than TMX.
Training
Prior to the training earlier this year I had never bowled before. As a new bowler I strongly disagree with #3 of the Main Recommendations: “Review new member coaching format: get newcomers bowling sooner, less theory” (page 6).
I attended all of this year’s new bowler training sessions. The people who made these comments clearly did not attend the same ones as me (if they attended any at all)!
We started bowling in the first session. All of the sessions were hands-on, practical and took place on the green. Yes, there was talking and “theory” (if this means instruction on bowling technique, rules, etiquette and tactics etc.). There had to be. There is a lot to learn. It is essential to have some knowledge of all of these before joining Webbers/matches. It is not fair to rely on fellow club members to always tell you what to do.
Further, the “talking” and “theory” meant that I was able to represent the club at an away friendly match in my first year with some knowledge of rules and etiquette. I am grateful for this especially as the same could not have been said of my opposite Lead.
I also refer to the comment “integrate new bowlers into Webbers and friendly matches much sooner” (page 29). Everyone learns at a different pace. If I had been asked/pressured to take part in a Webber or friendly in the early stages of training I would probably not have continued to bowl. I was not confident enough to take part in anything other than training or a roll-up for many weeks. By all means encourage new bowlers to take part if they feel they can but do not pressure them to do so.
I found the training helpful, supportive, practical, and good value for money. (The approach of the other club I visited was “we have a coach you can have training if you want to”.) I also appreciate the flexibility in arranging Monday evening sessions for those who were unavailable on Saturday mornings.
Finally I echo opinion that the club is friendly and supportive. I have appreciated experienced members drawing my attention to what I may be doing wrong, or rules of which I was unaware. Please keep doing this as I need to learn.
That’s more than enough from me.
Well Done Helena for coming forward both with her remarks and for starting to bowl with more confidence. I agree with her remarks about the coaching btw.
Have read the report and have lots of comments, and not enough time to type a report before committee this week end..
Lots of contradictory points
eg….Provide more information Day one….Should let them bowl straight away
New members given to much theory on Day one ,not true.
Fees to high,but we should pay someone to clean.
Some suggestions already tried and failed. eg Buddy system
Stagnating and ageing can be seen as offending that age group
Where was it said bowls increasingly popular as a school sport.
I will type the rest when I have time
It is obvious that a tremendous amount of time, expertise and effort has gone into producing and collating this survey, It gives a comprehensive picture of the state of not just TMX, but many bowls clubs and echoes Bowls England concerns. As it is not an Olympic sport and even its future presence at the Commonwealth games is in doubt, it has a very low sporting profile.
The demographic will always be top heavy with older bowlers who have both time and disposable income at hand, although I resent being described as stagnating and have no problem with the use of the word dying rather than attrition.
When Claire put a recruitment team in place the target was, as it is now, 5 new members each year. Covid interfered with statistics somewhat and this year has been a bonus. The new recruits were offered the chance to play webbers after 2/3 coaching sessions, there has never been a requirement to complete coaching before joining in, but we have a duty to protect our beautiful green.
I have been quite upset to receive so much criticism of the coaching team. We are all doing our best to ensure new bowlers understand the skills required. We do suggest they come and watch matches. They are also certainly informed about what they are expected to contribute. It is on the membership form, though perhaps we should reintroduce the membership interview. I think there is a risk of information overload and it doesn’t all necessarily go in.
There was some mention of coaching on a Friday evening, I was there for the first 12 weeks and only 1 person took up the offer. I have also done 1:1 sessions when asked. I agree the clash of fixtures have affected Friday socials and would support an attempt to introduce a Monday points night.
I will send some other thoughts to Michele. Meanwhile you can please some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time but you will never please everyone.